Lubricating device for center-bearings.



' PATENTED APR. 28, 1908..

R. T. SBNTER.

LUBRIGATING DEVICE FOR CENTER BEARINGS.

APPLICATION TILED 001223. 1907.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

R. T. S-ENTBR. LUBRIGATING DEVICE FOR CENTER BEARINGS.

APPLICATION I'ILEI) 0GT.23, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET B.

h V v N iflm m I In 1 8W 11 w UNITED sraa ps RALPH T. SENTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORflO THE J. G. BRILL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LUBRICATIN'G DEVICE FOR CENTER-BEARINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 28, 1908.

Application filed October 23, 1907. Serial No. 398,800.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH T. SENTER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricating Devices for Center-Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lubricating devices, and has reference more particularly to a new and improved device for effecting the automatic lubrication of the center bearings of railway cars, and more especially, street railway cars, although applicable to the center bearings of turn tables and the like.

So far as I am aware, the center bearings of street railways cars have hitherto in actual ractice been unprovided with any means for supplying lubricant automatically and in roperly regulated quantities to the center earing plates; the mode of lubricating such bearing plates in vogue at the present time consisting in jacking up the body bolster, when required, so as to open the-bearing sufficiently to permit a quantity of thick grease to be inserted between the bearings. There are numerous objections to this crude method of 'oiling the bearings. In the first place, too much or too little lubricant may easily be applied; and the lubrication may be neglected, when necessary, to the detrimen-- tal wear of the parts. In the second place, dust and dirt easily find their way into the bearing, attracted by the lubricant therein, thus contributing to injurious wear on the parts.

The object of my present invention is to provide an improved automatic device for effecting the constant and uniform supply of oil to the center bearings, without requiring their separation for the application of the lubricant, and in a manner to substantially protect the bearing against the deleterious effects of the attracted dirt and grit to which the bearing, by reason of its position on the car, is eculiarly subject.

To tn's end my invention consists substantially in the combination with the body and truck center plates, of an oil reservoir suitably mounted above the body center plate (preferably on the bottom plate of the body bolster) and communicating through a hole in the body center plate with the space between the center plates, together with means for regulating the supply of oil to the and of a portion of the bottom plateof the body bolster to which it is secured. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the truck center plate, more particularly illustrating a part of the 'means for regulating the supply of oil through the relative angular turning movement between the body and truck center plates. Fig. 4 is a central cross-sectional view, broken off at the bottom, through the center bearings and super osed body bolster. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail 'ragmentary crosssectional views through the oil-cup and immediate underlyin parts, showing different positions of the oi 'control ling spindle, and Fig. 6 also showing a modification of Fig. 5 employing a valve serving to effect a positive shut-oil of the oil.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a fragment of the top plate, 11 a fragment of the bottom late, and 12 the usual interposed strut-b lock of a body bolster, this latter having a central web forming a bearing 12 for the usual king-bolt 13, and the members 10, 11 and 12 being united by the usual thimble-bolts 14. The thimble-bolts 14 also rigidly secure to the under side of the bottom plate 11 the body center plate 15, beneath and-cooperating with which isthe truck center plate 16, this latter supported on the usua truck-bolster (not shown). The body and truck center plates 15 and 1.6 are pro vided, on their adjacent sides, as usual, with convex and concave bearing surfaces, respectively, the truck center late having a central annular boss 16 looseiy fitting a correspondingly shaped socket 15 formed in and centrally of the bearing face of the body center plate.

Mounted on and suitably secured to the bottom plate 11 of the body bolster is an oilcup or holder 17 herein shown as provided witha: hingedj lid or cover 18. The bottom of the oil-cu 17, and the underlying bottom plate of the olster and body center plate are provided with registering apertures, as shown \m Figs. 5 and 6, to which is fitted a bushing with my invention, by a construction which utilizes the relative angular movements of the center plates for this purpose.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be observed that the upper surface of the truck center plate 16 is provided with an annular group or series of small shallow depressions or cavities indi cated at 21; these depressions being so lo cated as to be brought successively into registration with the lower end of the oil-duct under a relative turning movement between the truck and car body. It will thus be seen that when one of said cavities 21 is directly in register with the lower end of the oil-duct, the oil-feeding spindle 20 will rest in the bottom of the cavity while, under a subsequent angular turning movement, the lower end of the spindle will ride up out of the cavity onto the space between ad acent cavities, and will drop into the next adjacent cavity upon the registration thereof with the lower end of the oil duct. A longitudinally reciprocating movement is thus imparted to the rod or spindle 20 under angular turning movements between the two center plates, which movement facilitates the flow of the lubricant through the oil-duct and into the space between the center plates, especially at times when such lubricant is especially needed to reduce the frictional wear and resistance be tween the center plate under such angular turning movements.

Fig. 5 shows the spindle 20 in its lowermost position engaged with the bottom of one of the cavities 21, and Fig. 6 illustrates the spindle in its elevated or hoisted position, resting upon one of the spaces between adj acent cavities. In Fig. 6 I have also illustrated a slight modification wherein the bottom of the oil-cup is provided with a conical or tapered valve-seat 22 and the upper end of the spindle 20 is provided with a corre spondingly shaped valve 23 adapted to fit said valve-seat. The operation of this form of the device is the same as the operation of that shown in Fig. 5, with the exception that, when the spindle 20 is at its lowest osition, the valve is closed, and further supp y of the lubricant is cut off until the valve has been subsequently raised.

The uniform and regular distribution of the lubricant around and between the center bearing plates is promoted by forming in the bottom surface of the upper plate 15 an annular groove 24 (Fi 2) that intersects the lower end of the oi -duct; the oil trickling down the latter tending to hug and flow around the said groove 24 and thus become uniformly distributed over the adjacent surfaces of the two center bearing plates.

With a view to promoting the utility of the above described lubricating device, as well as increasing the durability and longevity of the center lates themselves, I preferably, and as herein shown, provide the bearing with a guard to lessen, and in a large measure prevent, the introduction to the bearing of dust, dirt and grit that is naturally attracted by the lubricant. To this end I cut away the periphery of the truck center plate 16 to form an annular inset 25 that accommodates a depending lip or flange 26 formed on the pe riphery of the upper body center plate 15, such lip or flange serving in a large measure as a guard or shield against the introduction of objectionable foreign matter between the two bearing members.

In the operation of the device, the oil reservoir 17 is, of course, kept supplied with a quantity. of suitable lubricant. This lubricant gradually works its way down between the spindle 20 and its bearing into the space between the two center plates, its distribution by the latter being facilitated by the groove 24, as above explained. As the car passes around corners or over other curved portions of the track, the spindle 20 is reciprocated in the manner explained, thereby further facilitating the flow of the oil, and, when equipped with a valve 28, as shown in Fig. 6, substantially cutting off the oil supply excepting when traveling on curves. My invention thus does away with the necessity of separating the center plates and manually introducing a quantity of grease or other lubricant therebetween, and insures the steady and uniform lubrication of the bearing so long as the reservoir is maintained supplied with oil.

Among the advantages attained by the use of my invention, I may mention a saving of the flange wear and also of the track, by reason of the increased freedom of angular movement which the truck has with reference to the body of the car by virtue of the continuously and uniformly lubricated center bearing which my invention provides. It follows, as a corollary of this, that this reduction of friction and flange and track wear means a considerable saving in power required to propel the car.

I claim:

1. In a lubricating device for center bearings, the combination with a pair of centerplates, of an oil-holder having a discharge duct communicating with the space between said center-plates, there being means actu scribed.

3. In a lubricating device for center-bearings, the combination with a body-bolster.

' the flow of lubricant to the latter, substan tially as described.

4. In a lubricating device for center-bearings, the combination with a pair of centerplates, of a superposed oil-holder having a discharge duct leading to the space between said center-plates, a spindle loosely fitted to said discharge duct, there being means for reciprocating said spindle under relative angular movements of said center-plates, substantially as described.

5. In a lubricating device for center-beari'ngs, the combination with a pair of centerplates, of a superposed oil-holder having a discharge duct extending through the upper center-plate to the space between said center-plates, a spindle loosely fitted to said discharge duct, there being means on the lower center-plate engaging the lower end of said spindle and reciprocating the latter under relative angular movements of said centerplates, substantially as described.

6. In a lubricating device for center-bearings, the combination with a pair of centerplates, the lower whereof is formed with an annular series of depressions in its bearing face, of a superposed oil-holder having a discharge duct extending through the upper center-plate to the space between said center-plates, and a spindle loosely fitted to said discharge duct and having its lower end in register with said series of depressions, substantially as described.

7. In a lubricating device for center-bearings, the combination with a pair of centerplates the upper whereof is formed with an annular oil-distributing groove in its bearing face, of a superposed oil-holder having a discharge duct extending through said upper center-plate and communicating with said oil-distributing groove, and means for controlling the flow of 'oil through said discharge duct, substantially as described.

RALPH T. SENTER.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, FREDERICK C. GooDWIN. 

